PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE COUNTY OPERATIONS Featured in this Section

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE
COUNTY OPERATIONS
Featured in this Section
4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.2 Building Design and Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.2.1 Green Building Policy for County Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.2.2 Green Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4.3 Purchasing and Supply Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.3.1 Green Purchasing Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.3.2 Surplus Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.4 Facilities and Site Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4.4.1 Energy Efficiency Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4.4.2 Energy Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.5 Information Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.5.1 Information Technology Energy Efficiency Initiatives . . . . . . . . . 96
4.6 Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.6.1 Landfill Gas Recovery and Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.6.2 Waste-to-Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
4.6.3 Water Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
4.7 Vehicle Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
4.7.1 Hybrid and Electric Fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
4.7.2 Other Vehicle Services Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
4.8 Fairfax Employees for Environmental Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
4.9 Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
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SECTION 4
4.1 Introduction
Fairfax County government has long been proactive in its environmental
stewardship, as described in the preceding sections. This section
describes several of the county’s innovative and successful efforts to
implement environmental and energy goals for county facilities and
operations. It concludes with a discussion of the county’s greenhouse gas
emissions inventory and results.
Significant efforts have been made over time to reduce the county’s
operational demand for energy through efficiency, conservation and
education. The basis for these efforts is Fairfax County’s strategic
direction and commitment to achieve environmental and energy goals,
including those set forth in the board’s 2004 Environmental Agenda, the
2007 Cool Counties Initiative, the 2009 Energy Policy and the county’s
Comprehensive Plan.
Two collaborative inter-agency committees – the Environmental
Coordinating Committee and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Coordinating Committee – are vital to achieving these goals. These
committees help ensure coordinated action across county agencies,
authorities, and schools. Their meetings provide a forum for participants
to share project updates, discuss emerging trends and technologies,
candidly review their experiences with equipment and systems and raise
issues of mutual interest.
4.2 Building Design and Construction
4.2.1 Green Building Policy for County Facilities
In 2008, the county Board of Supervisors adopted the Sustainable
Development Policy for Capital Projects applicable to the construction of
new county buildings and renovations or additions to existing buildings.
The policy requires buildings with more than 10,000 square feet to be
constructed to meet or exceed minimum green building standards. The
policy applies only to county government capital projects. County public
school projects are designed using the Virginia-Collaborative for High
Performance Schools criteria.
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The county’s government buildings are certified under established green
building rating systems that recognize outstanding performance in several
key areas:
❚ S
ustainable Sites – discourages development on undeveloped land and
seeks to minimize a building’s environmental impacts.
❚ Water Efficiency – encourages the smarter use of water inside and out.
❚ E
nergy & Atmosphere – encourages the implementation of energy-wise
strategies.
❚ M
aterials & Resources – encourages the use of sustainably produced
materials and waste reduction, reuse and recycling strategies.
❚ Indoor Environmental Quality – promotes strategies that improve indoor
air quality, acoustics and access to natural daylight.
❚ Innovation in Design – encourages the use of technologies and
strategies that improve a building’s performance.
❚ R
egional Priority – encourages builders to consider and address local
high-priority environmental concerns.
Currently, 15 county buildings have satisfied the certification criteria
established by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
program of the U.S. Green Building Council; of these, eight have been
certified as LEED Gold buildings. Two buildings have received Green
Globe certifications from the Green Building Initiative’s environmental
assessment and rating system for commercial buildings. In addition, there
are 19 projects in design or construction that have the goal of meeting the
LEED Silver requirement.
The Dolley Madison Library is one of the county’s LEED Gold buildings.
The 19,000 square foot facility achieved LEED Gold certification in April
2012 following a renovation and expansion.
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The library incorporates energy-saving features that are expected to
reduce annual energy use by about 20 percent when compared to
similarly-sized conventionally-designed facilities. The library’s energysaving features include natural lighting and a lighting control system that
varies the amount of light from overhead lighting fixtures based on the
level of daylight in the space. These design and building elements reduce
the need for artificial lights that consume energy and generate heat. Other
energy saving features include high-efficiency ENERGY STAR compliant
mechanical equipment and a roofing system that uses a combination of
a highly-reflective roofing material and a green roof that covers about
one-third of the building’s roof. Both the reflective material and green
roof reduce the need for cooling during the summer. The green roof also
reduces stormwater runoff.
The library includes other green building features. The installation of
water-efficient plumbing fixtures such as low-flow, sensor-operated
faucets and dual-flush toilets is expected to reduce annual water use
by about 30 percent when compared to similarly-sized conventionallydesigned facilities. More than 80 percent of the construction waste was
recycled and more than 50 percent of the library’s construction materials
were purchased regionally (within 500 miles of the project) to reduce
transportation energy costs.
Information about the county’s green building policy for its capital facilities,
including a list of green buildings and their key features, is available at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/environment/coolcounties/county_green_
buildings.htm.
The county’s green building green building policies for private sector
development are discussed in Section 3.2.4. These policies are found in
the Environment section of the Comprehensive Plan and implemented
through the zoning process.
4.2.2 Green Roofs
The Dolley Madison Library renovation is one of several county capital
facility projects that have incorporated a green roof. Other projects
incorporating a green roof include the West Ox Bus Operations Center,
Merrifield Center, Providence Community Center, the Great Falls Volunteer
Fire Station and the Herndon Fire Station.
A 5,000 square foot green roof is located on the upper level of the
five-story Herrity Building parking garage in the Government Center
complex. Its ability to absorb stormwater volume and related pollutants
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is monitored and compared to an unplanted area on the opposite side
of the garage. This green roof – which can be seen from county offices
that issue permits to developers and builders – also showcases the three
varieties of green roofs.
Within the vegetated roof area, three different planting levels illustrate
the three types of green roofs: extensive, semi-intensive and intensive.
The largest area, which is planted predominantly with tiny, droughttolerant plants called sedums, is of the extensive type. Extensive green
roofs have shallow soil layers of three to four inches and are the most
common, lightest and most low-maintenance type of green roof. Semiintensive green roofs, like the shallow planters on the Herrity garage, have
deeper soils – about four to eight inches – and support a greater variety
of drought-tolerant plants, including shallow rooted perennials. Intensive
green roofs are true roof-top gardens intended for public enjoyment, and
can include water features, gardens and even trees and shrubs.
4.3 Purchasing and Supply Management
4.3.1 Green Purchasing Program
Fairfax County spends over $700 million each year on goods and services.
The county’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy (EPP Policy)
is an element of the Board of Supervisors Environmental Agenda that
encourages county departments to consider the environmental impacts of
the goods and services they purchase.
The Department of Purchasing and Supply Management (DPSM) manages
the EPP Policy through the Green Purchasing Program. Using the
competitive procurement process, county departments can partner with
innovative contractors to help improve the county’s operational impact on
the environment while reducing cost. DPSM maintains a catalog of over
35 contracts for goods and services with demonstrated environmental
benefits. The catalog includes LEED-compatible furniture, energy- and
paper-saving copiers, water recycling car wash and services and carpet
recycling. DPSM strives to choose materials with an inherently lower
impact on the environment, such as materials from sustainably managed
renewable resources, and to use recycled materials wherever possible.
The program also includes a focus on responsible equipment disposal,
which has resulted in cost savings and serves as a model for sustainable
resource recovery.
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The Green Purchasing Program promotes recovery and recycling. More
than 56 percent of the office supplies purchased by the county in FY 2014,
including all copy paper, had recycled content or green attributes; this
number is almost double the average among peer governments. Recycled
options provide both environmental and financial benefits. For example, a
FY 2013 initiative to purchase lower-cost remanufactured printer cartridges
has saved $143,600 with no degradation in printing performance.
Other highlights of the Green Purchasing Program include:
❚ C
onsidering the life-cycles of products purchased and used by the
county, including end-of-life reuse or recycling options.
❚ P
urchasing and using environmentally-friendly cleaning products in
county facilities, where feasible.
❚ P
artnering with the Fairfax Employees for Environmental Excellence,
an advisory group of employees who embrace and support efforts that
promote environmental awareness.
In addition to promoting and enabling green purchasing within the
county, DPSM works to support the national market for green solutions.
DPSM collaborates with a national working group to assist other local
governments as they construct their own green purchasing programs.
DPSM continues its work with U.S. Communities, which hosts cooperative
contracts used by 55,000 public agencies, to strengthen green language
in national solicitations. The National Association of Counties holds DPSM
as a proven success story for its green purchasing accomplishments and
continued growth in its sustainability efforts.
More information about the county’s Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing Policy is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2009/
environmentally-preferable-purchasing-policy.htm.
4.3.2 Surplus Equipment
DPSM promotes responsible reuse and disposal of surplus items through a
variety of approaches, including:
❚ E
xpanding recycling options by using trade-in, “producer responsibility”
and take-back clauses in vendor contracts.
❚ M
arketing and selling surplus equipment on consignment and by on-line
and sealed-bid auctions.
❚ F
ostering strategic donations of surplus equipment to charities that
further the county’s mission.
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DPSM’s on-line reuse program to dispose of
surplus property is a notable success in this
area. DPSM has generated record revenue
growth from its on-line auctions of surplus
goods. These auctions, which are open to
the public, optimize revenue from the sale
of surplus sporting goods, office furniture,
office equipment, industrial machinery, tools,
household and industrial appliances, fleet
vehicles and specialized vehicles such as fire trucks and trash trucks.
In addition, DPSM’s on-line reuse program allows employees to shop
for surplus equipment from their desks and have items delivered, all at
no direct cost to the requesting department. This DPSM program has
increased the reuse rate, decreased disposal costs and saved thousands
on the purchase of new equipment. In FY 2014, the county sold 93 percent
of excess surplus property, generating $2.0 million in revenue.
The county’s internal electronics recycling program, begun in 2011,
continues to evolve and now encompasses any item with a circuit board.
This program led to the recycling of over 165,000 pounds of electronics in
FY 2013 and FY 2014. Other recycling initiatives include cell phones, toner
cartridges, batteries, scrap metal, used tires and spent oil.
Using its toolbox of options, DPSM promotes and leads collaborative and
innovative approaches to reducing waste. These approaches also improve
the county’s bottom line by reducing disposal costs and generating
revenue. More information about DPSM’s environmentally-responsible
surplus equipment programs is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpsm/
surplus.htm.
4.4 Facilities and Site Management
Fairfax County’s Facilities Management Department (FMD) portfolio is
comprised of 224 properties, totaling over eight million square feet of
space. This space includes offices, libraries, residential treatment facilities
and 24/7 facilities such as adult detention facilities, fire stations and
police stations. FMD’s portfolio does not include facilities operated by
the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, the Park
Authority, the Redevelopment and Housing Authority or the Fairfax County
Public Schools.
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4.4.1 Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Energy management is an important focus area for FMD. Over a decade
ago, FMD established the goal of reducing energy use by one percent per
year, as measured in one thousand British thermal units (kBtu) per square
foot. Recent numbers show FMD meeting or exceeding its goal, despite
a substantial increase in the square footage of its portfolio. By reducing
energy consumption, FMD reduces both greenhouse gas emissions and
energy costs. During the period FY2012 through FY2014, FMD saved over
a million dollars on utility bills.
FMD undertakes a wide range of energy improvement projects to achieve
energy savings. It installs energy management control systems, rightsizes heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, installs
lighting controls and efficient lighting, including LEDs and replaces
aging roofs as well as building caulking and window sealant. Energy
improvements completed by FMD since 2012 include seven LED lighting
projects, 25 HVAC and plumbing component replacement projects, 18
roof replacement projects and 14 projects to replace window and building
caulking and sealant.
Many of FMD’s energy improvements projects are designed to reduce
electricity consumption. For example:
❚ In FY 2014, an FMD HVAC project at the Government Center replaced or
retrofitted 644 variable air volume (VAV) boxes and added direct digital
controls. This project is expected to reduce electricity consumption by
up to 15 percent, as compared to the conventional pneumatic system
that was replaced.
❚ In FY 2014, FMD retrofitted 19 fire stations with a bay door interlock
system. The system more effectively regulates the mounted infra-red
bay heating devices to minimize conditioning of the bays when the doors
are open.
❚ A
n FMD LED lighting project in the underground parking garage at the
Government Center replaced 950 T-8 fluorescent fixtures with 420
LED fixtures with motion sensors. At the Adult Detention Center, FMD
converted 650 fluorescent lamps to LEDs that provide 24/7 illumination.
FMD has also undertaken improvements that reduce water use, in addition
to energy use. A multi-phase two-year project at the Government Center:
replaced all restroom and locker room flush valves and faucets with low
flow, infrared sensor-operated fixtures; replaced shower heads with low
flow fixtures; converted all lighting to LED; and incorporated hand dryers
to eliminate paper towels. This project has reduced water consumption by
more than 45 percent, as compared to the prior year’s usage.
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4.4.2 Energy Monitoring
With over 700 utility accounts, computerized energy monitoring and
evaluation are essential elements of FMD’s energy management
practice. Monitoring and evaluation are facilitated by automated energy
management control systems that have been installed in 94 county
buildings. FMD also uses data available from its energy management
software to measure and track energy and water consumption.
Monitoring allows the county to make adjustments based on real-time
information, rather than relying on the historical records of past bills.
These adjustments yield immediate and continuing savings. Monitoring
also allows FMD to identify cost-saving opportunities due to leaks,
equipment inefficiencies or problems with building controls. Further, using
the data available from its systems, FMD can more precisely determine
the costs of operating the facilities in its portfolio and can determine
the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that portfolio’s energy
consumption. This information provides key inputs to the county’s annual
calculation of its greenhouse gas emissions.
4.5 Information Technology
4.5.1 IT Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Fairfax County’s information technology (IT) infrastructure is designed
to ensure the continuous delivery of quality services in a cost-effective
and resource-efficient manner. Energy efficiency IT initiatives reduce the
power consumption of IT equipment, decrease the emission of greenhouse
gases and reduce the county’s carbon footprint.
Virtualization and cloud-computing technologies are the foundation of
the county’s agile enterprise infrastructure architecture. Elements of this
strategic approach include consolidating and standardizing IT resources
while still ensuring visibility, security and accountability. The county’s
server virtualization and consolidation initiative, which was established in
FY 2007-2008, was funded in part by an FY 2010 federal stimulus award
for energy efficiency projects. This initiative reduced the need of physical
servers from 870 to fewer than 300.
The FY 2010 federal stimulus award also helped accelerate the
deployment of a personal computer (PC) power management program.
The “NightWatchman” program automatically shuts down almost 13,000
end-user PCs across 55 offices when not in operation. In 2014, reductions
in PC-related electricity use saved $273,163 in electricity costs and avoided
the emission of 5.9 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
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The NightWatchman program also supports the county’s virtualization
initiative. Because it measures server workloads, the program helps
determine which servers are underutilized and thus good candidates for
virtualization and consolidation.
Both the virtualization initiative and PC power management programs
have been nationally recognized for achieving carbon reductions and
operational efficiencies. More information about Fairfax County’s IT
program and initiatives is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dit/itplan/.
4.6 Waste Management
4.6.1 Landfill Gas Recovery and Reuse
Landfill gas (LFG) is essentially an equal mixture of methane and carbon
dioxide that is a by-product of the decomposition of organic matter buried
in sanitary landfills. Fairfax County recovers LFG from several hundred gas
wells at the county’s two landfills and, after conditioning, uses the LFG to
produce electricity, incinerate bio-solids and heat maintenance facilities.
The county’s LFG use prevents the release of an estimated 300,000 tons
(CO2 equivalents) of greenhouse gases annually.
Electricity Generation – The county’s LFG operations began in 1990
at the I-95 Landfill Complex. This landfill complex is one of the largest
LFG wellfield and electrical generation networks in the Commonwealth
of Virginia. Although it has been operating more than 20 years,
approximately 2,000 cubic feet/minute (cfm) of LFG is captured from
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the I-95 landfill. About 1,600 cfm is used to fuel generators at the site.
In 2014, these generators produced approximately 4.9 megawatts of
electricity – enough to power about 3,100 homes in Fairfax County, given
current standards that assume average monthly residential electric use
of 1,117 kilowatt hours per month. This electricity is sold directly to the
county’s local electric utility, helping keep the Solid Waste Management
Program a self-funded agency.
Incineration – A three-mile pipeline transmits LFG from the I-95 landfill
to the nearby Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant at a rate of up to
700 cfm. The LFG is used in the plant’s incineration process to destroy
bio-solids and to fuel afterburners that reduce hydrocarbon emissions.
The plant’s use of LFG from the I-95 landfill saves Fairfax County about
$100,000 per year that it would otherwise spend on natural gas.
Heating – In 2005, the county retrofitted five natural gas infrared heaters
to use LFG and installed those heaters at the maintenance building and
truck wash located at the I-95 Landfill Complex. Demonstrated savings
at the I-95 site led the county to install LFG heaters at the I-66 Transfer
Station site in 2009. At the I-66 site, LFG is used to provide heating at
an on-site maintenance shop, at the truck wash and at a 10-bay vehicle
garage nearby. Savings from these heating projects at the I-95 and I-66
facilities is estimated at approximately $90,000 annually.
In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated Fairfax
County as Landfill Methane Outreach Program Community Partner of the
Year. More information about Fairfax County’s LFG projects is available at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/dispmethrvc.htm.
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4.6.2 Waste-to-Energy
The Energy Resource Recovery Facility (ERRF) uses municipal solid waste
to generate enough electricity to power about 50,000 homes plus the
facility itself.
In a multi-step process, the heat from burning waste produces steam that
turns turbines capable of generating over 80 megawatts of electricity.
With four industrial boilers that can burn over 3,000 tons per day of solid
waste – or about 1.1 million tons per year – the ERRF is one of the largest
waste-to-energy facilities in the country. The ERRF, which is located
adjacent to the I-95 Landfill Complex, has been in operation since 1990.
Using solid waste to generate electricity avoids both the cost and
emissions of using a fossil fuel to produce the electricity. Since
1990, energy production by the ERRF has replaced the equivalent of
approximately two million barrels of crude oil per year. Incineration of
municipal solid waste at the ERRF has other environmental benefits.
❚ A
s a result of pre-incineration sorting, enough metal is recycled each
year to build over 20,000 automobiles.
❚ Incineration reduces waste by up to 90 percent in volume, leaving an
ash product that is landfilled.
❚ Incineration prevents one-half ton of greenhouse gas emissions from
entering the atmosphere for every ton of garbage incinerated, making
the county’s waste-to-energy operation carbon-neutral to negative.
The ERRF is heavily regulated, subject to continuous emissions monitoring,
and Covanta Fairfax is required to report to regulators if the ERRF exceeds
emissions limits.
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The Energy Resource Recovery Facility is privately owned and operated
by Covanta Fairfax, Inc., a subsidiary of Covanta Energy, under contract
to Fairfax County. More information about the facility is available at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/dispomsf.htm.
4.6.3 Water Reuse
Fairfax County’s Water Reuse Program
delivers clean but non-potable water from
the Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control
Plant to non-residential customers
for irrigation and industrial purposes.
Reusing water conserves valuable
treated drinking water and reduces the
amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus that
reach the Chesapeake Bay. Water reuse
also generates revenue for the county.
The program sells water that is not safe for drinking but is safe for other
uses, such as watering lawns. Prior to delivery, the water is extensively
filtered and disinfected and thoroughly treated to remove harmful
organisms and substances, including bacteria, viruses and heavy metals.
The Pollution Control Plant continuously monitors and tests the quality
of this reclaimed water to ensure it exceeds strict state and federal
requirements.
To avoid confusion, every pipe that carries the reclaimed water is painted
purple and purple signs are posted at any public location where reclaimed
water is being used.
The program delivered 471 million gallons of reclaimed water in 2014.
A purple water reuse pipeline installed along Lorton Road connects the
Pollution Control Plant to the county’s waste-to-energy plant, the Energy
Resource Recovery Facility. This pipeline delivers treated reclaimed
non-potable water to the waste-to-energy plant each year for its use
in generating electricity. The pipeline also delivers reclaimed water to
both the Laurel Hill Golf Course and the Lower Potomac Ball Fields for
irrigation purposes.
The county’s use of reclaimed water has both economic and environmental
benefits. It requires an estimated 2,300 kilowatt hours of electricity
to pump, treat, transmit and distribute one million gallons of potable
water. The electricity use associated with reclaimed water is substantially
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reduced because the water is not treated to the levels required for
potable water. Lower electricity costs translate to lower purchase costs.
Reductions in electricity use also translate to reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions. County staff estimates that using reclaimed water saves
approximately 1.1 pounds of equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2e) per kilowatt
hour, based on the mix of generation sources that supply electricity to the
Northern Virginia region.
More information about Fairfax County’s water reuse is available at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/wastewater/water_reuse/.
4.7 Vehicle Services
The Department of Vehicle Services (DVS) provides management and
maintenance services to the county’s vehicle fleet and maintenance
support to the Fairfax County Public Schools. The Department of
Transportation (DOT) provides, among many other services, the Fairfax
Connector transit bus system for public transportation throughout the
county. Both agencies strive for economically responsible environmental
stewardship by working increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions
and petroleum consumption characteristics into vehicle specifications.
4.7.1 Hybrid and Electric Fleet
DVS’s responsibilities include management of the county’s Vehicle
Replacement fund. In response to the county’s desire for cleaner and
more energy-efficient vehicles, DVS has included hybrid-electric vehicles
in its Vehicle Replacement program, where appropriate. As a result, a
conventional gasoline-fueled county fleet vehicle at the end of its service
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life may be replaced with a hybrid vehicle, if acceptable to the using
agency and conditions warrant. The county’s fleet includes 117 hybridelectric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. The county saves over 16,000
gallons of gas on average each year from its use of hybrid vehicles.
Using federal stimulus funding, in the 2011-2012 period DVS added 16
Ford Fusion Hybrids, five Chevrolet Volts and one plug-in hybrid-electric
school bus to the county fleet. In December 2014, DVS purchased an
all-electric Nissan LEAF. In FY 2016, DVS plans to purchase an additional
all-electric vehicle and increase the fleet of hybrid-electric vehicles to
135. DVS anticipates installing charging stations necessary to support the
electric vehicles.
In 2011, the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC),
an appointed citizen advisory board, selected DVS as one of two recipients
of EQAC’s annual Environmental Excellence Award. The award recognized
DVS’s strong environmental stewardship as demonstrated by initiatives
including the development and continuing expansion of a hybrid-electric
vehicle fleet.
4.7.2 Other Vehicle Services Initiatives
Specifications for new vehicles purchased by DVS and DOT include
features designed to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency.
In FY2015, DVS purchased 132 school buses with Selective Catalytic
Reduction (SCR) technology. SCR meets the EPA2010 requirement
of providing engine emissions to near zero (a NOx level of 0.2 grams
per brake horsepower hour). Since 2009, DOT has included variable
frequency cooling fans in the buses it purchases. These fans have reduced
fuel consumption by 12 percent compared to vehicles with hydraulic fans.
Currently, 184 Fairfax Connector buses, or 65 percent of the fleet, are
equipped with variable frequency cooling fans.
DVS and DOT also have established a number of initiatives to improve the
energy and environmental performance of the vehicles they manage and
maintain. For example:
❚ T
o reduce fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, DVS and DOT
programmed automatic idle shutdown into all county solid waste trucks
and Fairfax Connector buses.
❚ D
OT has transitioned to nitrogen filled tires to provide longer life and
increased fuel mileage.
❚ D
VS retrofitted 1,012 school buses and 113 heavy duty trucks with
exhaust after-treatments that reduce particulate emissions.
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Information about the county’s green fleet initiatives is available at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/environment/coolcounties/countyefforts_
greenvehicles.htm.
4.8 Fairfax Employees for Environmental Excellence
The Fairfax Employees for Environmental Excellence (FEEE) serves as
Fairfax County’s employee green team. FEEE’s goal is simple: to foster
a greener workplace culture. FEEE encourages employees to take
advantage of existing environmental programs, including recycling and
green purchasing options. FEEE also encourages employees to use their
diverse perspectives to develop creative solutions that can minimize the
environmental impact of county operations.
Cumulatively, the simple, habitual behaviors of Fairfax County’s 12,000
employees can have significant environmental impact. Examples include
deciding which office supplies to buy, whether to use the recycling bins, or,
in those offices without occupancy sensors, whether to turn the lights off
after the work-day. FEEE believes that routine and forgetfulness are the
most common impediments to environmentally-responsible action in the
work-place. As a result, FEEE focuses on employee behavior.
FEEE is especially known for its action campaigns. Many of these
campaigns, like FEEE’s 2011 “Junk the Junk Mail,” are friendly
competitions intended to raise awareness about simple but
environmentally-responsible activities. FEEE’s junk mail competition
reduced junk mail overall by 70 percent among participants. The
winning agency, the Office of Public and Private Partnerships, achieved
a 93 percent reduction. After the conclusion of FEEE’s 2012 friendly
competition, “Take the Stairs Week,” county staff reported opting for the
stairs over the elevator nearly 3,000 times.
Other FEEE initiatives include:
❚ U
sing its internal website and blog to disseminate information and
tips. Because it offers two-way communication, the blog has the added
advantage of allowing employees across the organization to join the
conversation.
❚ H
ighlighting innovative green ideas on the FEEE website and through
FEEE’s award program, “Fairfax Sustainability Champions.”
❚ H
osting lunch-and-learn events. Recent events include a stream
restoration tour, a green roof tour and the display of a replica green
office.
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❚ H
osting an annual “Green Lounge” that coincides with the county’s
Administrative Professionals Conference. Attractions include raffles, a
mock “green” cubicle and information on sustainability issues.
❚ D
istributing over 700 of its branded green lanyards to county employees
to help spread the word about FEEE.
In less than three years, FEEE has grown from an initial group of 15 to
nearly 400 employees interested in a greener workplace culture. By
empowering employees to exercise environmental responsibility, FEEE has
helped the county realize a range of benefits, including cost savings and
increased recycling revenue.
4.9 Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Fairfax County has created a community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
inventory to provide a baseline measurement, as well as to guide future
efforts to reduce emissions.
The inventory establishes 2006 as its baseline year. It then tracks annual
stationary and mobile emissions for the five-year period from 2006
through 2010.
Stationary sources are defined as buildings or other fixed, energyconsuming property not attributable to federal or state governments.
Mobile emissions are defined as those associated with on-road traffic
originating in and passing through the county, as well as light rail, off-road
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vehicles and mobile machinery. The GHG inventory includes both direct
(Scope 1) emissions generated within the county and energy-related indirect
(Scope 2) emissions. Scope 2 emissions result from purchased electricity
that is consumed inside the county, regardless of where it was generated.
During the review period, stationary sources accounted for 63 percent
of the county’s total GHG emissions, primarily from electricity use. The
majority of stationary emissions – 76.4 percent – were attributable to
electricity and natural gas consumed by the residential and commercial
sectors: 46.4 percent and 45.9 percent, respectively, of total emissions
from stationary sources. Electricity and natural gas consumption by
Fairfax County government and schools accounted for 4.5 percent of total
stationary emissions.
Mobile sources accounted for the remaining 37 percent of total emissions
during the review period. On-road vehicles accounted for 89 percent of
total mobile emissions. Of this 89 percent, 46 percent was attributable to
vehicles passing through the county (transient vehicles) and 43 percent to
vehicles registered in the county (local vehicles).
From 2006 to 2010, total emissions per resident declined by one percent.
Fairfax County’s baseline 2006 GHG emissions by source and sector are
shown in the table below.
Baseline (2006) GHG Inventory
Emissions Category
MMTCO2e
% Total Emissions
Stationary Sources
Residential
3.459
29%
Commercial 3.420
29%
Local government
0.339
3%
Industrial
0.233
2%
Mobile Sources
Passenger vehicles
2.822
24%
Heavy trucks
0.596
5%
Light trucks
0.486
4%
Other
0.484
4%
TOTAL
11.838100%
The inventory is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/environment/
greenhousegas/greenhouse-gas-inventory.htm.
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